Whether you are new to the vegan lifestyle or you have been at it for a number of years, discovering that your favorite sweet treats are not vegan-friendly will never get any easier.
It can be devastating to find out that your all-time favorite dessert contains dairy products, and, unfortunately, most desserts do.
However, not all hope is lost.
If you want to eat your favorite treats again, it may just be easier to make them yourself at home.
Below, we have shared our own recipe for making vegan-friendly hot cross buns for you to enjoy at Easter or whenever you need that hot cross bun fix.
What Makes Normal Hot Cross Buns Not Suitable for Vegans?
The main ingredients for making a typical hot cross bun are:
- Flour
- Cane sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Egg
- Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger)
- Yeast
- Dried fruit (sultanas)
Out of these ingredients, only 5 out of the 8 are considered to be vegan friendly. The 3 ingredients that aren’t are, of course, the butter, milk, and egg.
Most forms of butter and milk are made using cow’s milk, and most eggs, obviously, come from chickens.
Therefore, these three ingredients are made from animal products, and are not suitable for vegans to consume.
In order to make a batch of hot cross buns that are suitable for vegans, you will need to substitute the butter, milk, and egg. Below, we have listed which ingredients you can use as substitutes in your recipe.
Ingredients Needed to Make Vegan Hot Cross Buns
For our own recipe for vegan hot cross buns, you will need to use 12 ingredients plus water.
Many of these ingredients will already be in your pantry, but if not, you shouldn’t have a problem finding them at your local store.
Below, we’ve listed the most important ingredients to make these delicious buns at home.
Plant-Based Milk
When making your typical batch of hot cross buns, you would use cow’s milk in the recipe. If you want to make a vegan batch, however, you will need to use a non-dairy milk.
We recommend using soy milk, although you can also use almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
Beware that each of these non-dairy milks may affect the taste of the hot cross buns due to their individual flavors.
Vegan Butter
Similarly to the milk, a normal batch of hot cross buns would require the use of dairy butter.
To make these baked goods suitable for vegans, you will need to use a vegan butter instead.
Vegan butter is often made from ingredients including sunflower oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, and/or chickpeas.
Flour
You will need to use all-purpose flour to make a batch of hot cross buns. This is one of the most versatile types of flour available, and is often used in baking recipes.
Since all-purpose flour already includes leavening agents, you won’t need to use baking powder or baking soda along with it to help the dough rise.
Yeast
Yeast is an ingredient that is required for making bread, and other kinds of baked goods.
Without yeast, the dough would not rise as well, and the final product would end up softer, and without a solid form.
Sultanas and Oranges
The sultanas are added to give the hot cross buns its signature, fruity taste. And orange zest adds a bite of freshness to the bun.
Seasoning
In this recipe, you will need to use nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, along with a little pinch of salt.
This will pair perfectly with the sultanas and the orange zest, bringing out all the sweetness of the dough.
Jam
Jam is another important ingredient that will need to be used in this recipe.
When mixed with a bit of water, the jam will become a glaze, which will be used to top the hot cross buns once they have been baked.
Vegan Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Okay, let’s get into baking these beauties at home:
Ingredients Needed
- 1.5 cups of non-dairy milk
- 4 tbsp of unsalted vegan butter
- 1 tbsp of active dried yeast
- 5 cups of all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup of cane sugar
- 1 tbsp of orange zest
- 1 cup of sultanas
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- ¼ tsp of nutmeg
- ¼ tsp of ginger
- ½ tsp of salt
- Vegetable oil.
Crosses
- ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp of water
Glazing
- 1 tbsp of apricot jam
- 2 tsp of water
How to Make Vegan Hot Cross Buns
Making the Buns
- Preheat the oven at 400 °F (ca. 204 °C), and line a large baking tray (9×13 inches) with parchment paper. Add some oil to the parchment paper, and then place the baking tray to the side for later.
- Add the milk and the butter into a small mixing bowl, and stir them together until partially combined.
- Place the bowl into the microwave for 20-second intervals until the butter has completely melted, and then mix both ingredients together until they become a smooth liquid.
- Once the milk and the butter have been successfully combined, allow it to completely cool down. Then, you can add the yeast into the bowl, and place it to the side while you continue with the recipe.
- Next, grab another mixing bowl, and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and 4 cups of the flour. Stir these dry ingredients together.
- Using your stirring utensil, create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients by parting them at the center. Pour the yeast mixture into this bowl, along with the sultanas and the orange zest.
- Using a mixer, or your hands, knead the dough until every ingredient is fully incorporated.
- Grab a clean mixing bowl, and grease it up with a little bit of oil. Transfer the dough into this bowl, and cover it up with some cling film.
- Leave the dough to rise in a cool area for around 60 to 90 minutes. While you wait, sprinkle some flour onto a clean work surface for later.
- Once enough time has passed, remove the cling film from the bowl, and punch the dough to release some of the air. Then, transfer the dough onto the lightly floured surface that you prepared earlier.
- Roll the dough into a lengthy cylinder shape, and then slice the dough into 12 equally-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and place on the baking tray that you prepared earlier.
- Note: Make sure that there is enough space between each piece on the baking tray. If they are placed too close together, they will melt into each other as they bake.
- Use cling film to wrap up the entire baking tray, and allow the dough balls to rise for 30 minutes.
Making the Crosses
- Add the flour and water into a small, clean mixing bowl, and whisk together until there are no lumps.
- Carefully scoop this watery mixture into a ziplock bag. Once you have filled the bag, use scissors to snip off one of the corners.
- Once the dough balls have risen, remove the cling film, and use the ziplock bag to carefully pipe crosses onto each ball.
- After adding the crosses to each dough ball, place the baking tray into the oven. Let them bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they have become golden brown and crispy.
Glazing the Buns
- Once the hot cross buns have been removed from the oven, allow them to cool to room temperature. During this time, you can make the glaze.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the apricot jam with the water. The glaze should be runny but still slightly thick.
- When the hot cross buns are completely cool, use a pastry brush to gently glaze the top of each one.
- Allow the hot cross buns to cool for up to 3 hours before serving.
Final Thoughts
If you want to make vegan hot cross buns this spring, you will only need to substitute a couple of ingredients from the original recipe.
Simply use some plant-based milk along with a vegan butter, and skip out on the egg.
You should also make sure that the apricot jam that you use for this recipe is vegan-friendly. Most jams are, but you should still double-check to be absolutely sure, as some companies use gelatin in their products.
Happy baking!
